do you want to be complimented by that former kgb officer? >> i think when he calls me brilliant, i'll take the compliment, okay? >> there is no evidence my system was hacked. i communicated about classified material on a wholly separate system. >> praising putin and defending e-mails. the candidates put on the defensive during a highly focused event over who will be america's next commander in chief. a russian fighter jet flies within ten feet of a u.s. aircraft, increasing tensions between the two nations. apple iphone 7 unveiled, lots of changes, but should you wait for the iphone 8? ryan lochte facing major suspension over the rio gas

station incident. plus, major incident for nasa today. marilyn's jfk dress could fetch millions, and a busy thursday. "early today" starts right now. >> thanks to be with us this morning. >> if you were an undecided voter last night and watched the commander-in-chief forum, you probably still have questions, but certainly a lot of sparks between the candidates. >> call it an appetizer before the three debates. >> going to be fun to watch. americans are looking at their next commander-in-chief with fresh perspective. donald trump bashes the top military brass, while hillary clinton continues to get dogged about her e-mail server. trump used the occasion to level unusually harsh criticism against the country's military leaders. >> i know more about isis than the generals do, believe me. is that the truth? >> well, the generals under

barack obama and hillary clinton have not been successful. >> do you know more about isis than they do? >> i think under the leadership of barack obama and hillary clinton, the generals have been reduced to rubble. they have been reduced to a point where it's embarrassing for our country. >> and this morning president obama responded to trump's comments. >> as far as mr. trump, i think i've already offered my opinion. i don't think the guy's qualified to be president of the united states. and every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed. >> trump did little to fight back criticisms that he is unprepared to serve as the country's next commander-in-chief. in fact, he dug in on previously debunked assertions on the war in iraq and the intervention in libya. while remaining tight lipped on any plans he has for defeating isis. >> the main thing is, i have great judgment. i have good judgment. i know what's going on. i was totally against the war in iraq. you can look at "esquire"

magazine from '04. you can look at before that. >> you said this, "we're going to convene my top generals and they'll have 30 days to submit a plan for soundly and quickly defeating isis." so is the plan you've been hiding this whole time asking someone else for their plan? >> no, but when i do come up with a plan that i like and perhaps agrees with mine or maybe doesn't, i may love what the generals come back with. >> but you have your own plan? >> i have a plan. >> and the billionaire businessman also had this eyebrow raising moment when he lavished praise on russian president vladimir putin. take a listen. >> when referring to a comment that putin made about you, i think he called you a brilliant leader, you said it's always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his country and beyond. >> well, he does have an 82% approval rating, according to the different pollsters, who, by the way, some of them are based right here. >> do you want to be complimented by that former kgb

officer? >> i think when he calls me brilliant, i'll take the compliment, okay? >> you think the day you become president of the united states he's going to change his mind on some of these key issues? >> possibly, it's possible. i don't know, matt, it's possible. >> while the nominees never appeared on stage together, their sessions served as a preview for their upcoming debate. secretary clinton tried to focus on her national security credentials while pushing her view in the fight against isis. >> it is in our national security interest to defeat isis, and i intend to make that happen. when you're sitting in the situation room, as i have on numerous occasions, we have to defeat isis. that is my highest counterterrorism goal. they are not going to get ground troops. we are not putting ground troops into iraq ever again, and we're not putting ground troops into syria. >> a majority of clinton's time was spent fighting back questions on her private e-mail

server. >> it was a mistake to have a personal account. i would certainly not do it again. there is no evidence my system was hacked. classified material has a header, which says "top secret, secret, confidential." none of the e-mails sent or received by me had such a header. i communicated about classified material on a wholly separate system. >> and now this morning we have the very e-mails clinton exchanged with former secretary of state colin powell released by the democratic head of the house oversight committee. powell in the back and forth told clinton after she sought his advice he did, in fact, have a personal computer and private phone line for e-mails and used it to, "do business with foreign leaders and senior folks in the state department." when contacted, powell said he'll have no comment on the

release of the e-mail exchange. that came after usa today reported saying the decision to not recommend criminal charges against clinton wasn't a close call writing, "the case itself was not a cliff hanger. there really wasn't a prosecutable case." today on the trail, hillary clinton will hold a rally in the swing state of north carolina and deliver remarks at a baptist church, while trump heads to ohio, as his running mate mike pence gives a speech at the ronald reagan presidential library in california. tensions between russia and the united states continue to escalate not only on the ground, but now in the skies above. a russian fighter jet came within ten feet of a u.s. navy plane over the black sea on wednesday in what the pentagon is calling an unsafe close-range intercept. russian defense ministry says the navy's jet didn't have transponders on. but according to a senior american defense official, the

u.s. plane was conducting routine operations in international air space and did, in fact, have its transponder turned on during the entire fight. pentagon spokesman jeff david has responded to the encounter, which lasted around 19 minutes saying, "these actions have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions and could result in a miscalculation or accident. fallout continues over olympian ryan lochte's rio scandal. this time from the international olympic committee. a source with knowledge of the situation has told usa today that the 12-time olympic medalist will face a ten-month suspension and ban from next year's world championship meet. three other u.s. swimmers involve face suspensions, as well, but it's not expected to be as long as lochte's. the action follows a long line of major sponsors that dropped lochte after brazilian authorities revealed evidence the swimmer lied about being

robbed last month. no shortage of apple's unveiling of the iphone 7. division between the biggest change, it's the elimination of the traditional headphone jack. some analysts are already expecting 2017's iphone 8 version to be packing major design challenges in time for the iphone's tenth anniversary. i can't believe it's been ten years. raising the question, is it worth holding out for? >> it's the best iphone that we have ever created. >> reporter: apple eliminated one of its most iconic features on the new iphone 7, the headphone jack for the white ear buds gone. the port is being replaced with an additional speaker, along with water proof casing and higher quality camera. the iphone 7 itself starts at $649. wireless air buds will cost an additional $160. apple will include corded ear fohnes that will now plug in through the charging port.

apple eliminating the headphone jack is a controversial move, an attempt to change consumer behavior. >> historically apple has always removed things and i think initially gave consumers pause. i think apple has shown over time that the decisions they make are pretty good. >> reporter: apple needs the new iphone to sell well. earlier this year global iphone sales declined for the first time ever, putting it at a disadvantage against rival samsung, but just last week samsung recalling 2.5 million galaxy note 7 phones because of fires linked to lithium ion batteries, giving apple a shot to make a bigger shot this time around. nbc news, san francisco. just ahead, good news for drivers heading into the fall. plus, who wastes more time at work, millennials, baby boomers, or genxors? >> nasty flooding from heavy rain, emergency crews wading

through chest-high waters in some areas. any relief today, bill? >> for people in milwaukee, yes, but south could deal with isolated flooding. milwaukee is located up here, shifting into illinois, missouri, kansas, that's where it's going to stay over the next two days. heavy rainfall amounts, isolated flooding. that's where the worst weather in the country will be over the next 48 hours. warmer in santa rosa at 78 today. 72 in san francisco. all right, let's check this out. some people will stop at nothing for the souvenir ball. oakland as, that's a home run to the upper deck. we had three competitors, which one is going to get it? man down, another man down. oh, a push.

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welcome back, everyone. in georgia two small planes collided in midair. the georgia airport where the planes attempted to land has no air traffic controllers. it appears both planes tried to land at the same time when one landed on top of the other. three people were killed, including a flight instructor and her student. leading the news today, international leaders meet in laos earlier this morning, president obama and puerto rico's president are easing tensions, engaging in a face-to-face meeting after a cancellation of a formal meeting and awkward moment that played out on the world stage. just moments ago, president obama held a press conference at that press summit, where he spoke about his meeting with the

philippine president. >> i did shake hands with the president last night. it was not a long interaction, and what i indicated to him is that my team should be meeting with his and determine how we can move forward on a whole range of issues. i don't take these comments personally. include i including. >> a dozen officers found to be involved in a department wide sex scandal. the city's mayor announced four officers have been fired, seven suspended without pay and another will undergo counseling. the punishment are a result of a nearly year long investigation that began last fall with the suicide of an oakland police officer. authorities uncovered the officer's relationship with a 19-year-old woman, who later claimed she had sexual relations with dozens of other officers on

the force. the scandal is another black mark on a department that's been working on reform. >> i am deeply sorry for the harm that this scandal has caused, particularly to community trust, which for many was already so tenuous. and today reaffirms our commitment to continually rebuild that trust. fast forwarding today, nasa's probe is scheduled to launch from the kennedy space center. its mission to hunt down astroids, pick up some rock samples, and return them to earth. the trip is expected to take seven years and a small price tag of $800 million. a u.s. flag that was photographed being hoisted by firefighters at ground zero after 9/11 was later memorialized on a postage stamp will go back on display at the national september 11th memorial and museum. and the skin tight dress marilyn monroe wore to sing

happy birthday to president kennedy in 1962 is going up for auction, expected to sell for $2 million or more. francis, get your checkbook out. ♪ when is your flu shot more than a flu shot? when it helps give a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need. ♪ thanks to customers like you, walgreens "get a shot. give a shot." program has helped provide 15 million vaccines through the un foundation. it's that easy to make a difference. ♪ walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy.

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right now u.s. investors are keeping a close eye on european stocks as the central bank

decides interest rates. what's moving markets today, good morning. >> good morning to you, as well. wall street could be set to edge higher at the opening bell today. stocks ending mixed on wednesday with the nasdaq hitting another record high. a report from the federal reserve striking a positive tone on the economy, but also notes the presidential election is making some companies cautious about expanding their business. meanwhile, gas prices have stayed low this summer and could go even lower this fall. labor day capped the cheapest summer for drivers since 2004. aaa noting this week's seasonal trends will likely keep downward pressure on gas prices through the rest of the year as refineries move to cheaper winter blend fuel. and a recent survey finds millennials waste more time at work than older generations. career builder says cell phones are the most common distraction, followed by surfing the web and office gossip. francis and aman, such a bad

rep. >> not anything like that. >> not at work. >> three phones here on the desk alone. cnbc's landa downey, thank you. football night in america. we'll go live in denver with a preview of tonight's super bowl sequel. that's next. sequel. that's next. l come out tomorrow... ♪ for people with heart failure, tomorrow is not a given. but entresto is a medicine that helps make more tomorrows possible. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ i love ya, tomorrow in the largest heart failure study ever. entresto helped more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren. if you've had angioedema while taking an ace or arb medicine, don't take entresto. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure... ...kidney problems, or high potassium in your blood. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow i love ya, tomorrow.♪

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no, no, no, no, [music] people are both soft and strong... yey! which is why our products are too. angel soft. maybe... the skate park today? you can make it gr-r-reat! ♪ kellogg's frosted flakes gives you the sweet spark to go all in and let your great out. they're gr-r-reat! it is a huge day for football fans. tonight, the 2016 nfl season officially kicks off with a rematch of super bowl 50. the super bowl champion denver

broncos take on the carolina panthers. >> jay gray is outside sports authority field for us at mile high stadium. jay, good to have you with us. big changes for the broncos, most notably a starting quarterback that won't be returning this year. >> reporter: yeah, aman, francis, good morning to you. you're right, no peyton manning here, but still a lot of excitement as the broncos and panthers line up for a rematch of super bowl 50. it is game day in denver. after another off-season of controversy and suspensions and a preseason of sit-ins, tonight the attention and players return to the field. >> this is a big day. tomorrow's a big day. it's where it all begins for everyone, all eyes for the nfl are on denver. couldn't be more excited to be here to kick things off. >> reporter: and the nfl starts right where it left off last season, a rematch of super bowl 50 between the broncos and panthers. >> finally after seven months we're ready for that rematch. >> reporter: the nbc team that

will bring you the action is ready to get the ball rolling, as well. >> it's going to be unbelievable. i mean, this is the type of energy you want. this kickoff game is like the super bowl. i mean, the magnitude of it. >> reporter: and for the fans -- >> go broncos! >> reporter: seven long months without a game is just about over. >> i'm super psyched. i'm ready. >> reporter: kickoff now just hours away. yeah, you know, tailgaters already lined up waiting to get in once the parking lots open. should be an exciting night. frances, aman, back to you. >> hopefully get to enjoy the game. don't miss the kickoff 8:30 eastern here on nbc. this is "early today". escape your nasal allergies...

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here's your thursday "early today" travel map. we are watching thunderstorms through chicago, st. louis, indianapolis, detroit later on today. many areas of the west looking quiet today. beautiful in denver at 88 degrees. still on the warm side in phoenix. cooler yesterday with the clouds around from the tropical storm and nice weather setting up, warmer than you'd probably like in central portions of california. overall, the west looks best, guys. >> thank you very much. tributes are rolling in as we learn about the passing of a little boy in florida, we told you about him yesterday and this photo is what we showed you, went viral and is tearing the heart strings even more. it's the first moment the 3-week-old twins were together 11 days after birth. hawk was born with a rare birth defect in his die agraphragdiap

underwent surgeries but unfortunately did not survive. took an act of congress, but world war ii pilot elaine harmon has been laid to rest at arlington national cemetery a year after her death following a battle by her family to get female world war ii pilots recognized for burial at arlington. harmon was one of the female pilots that flew noncombat missions in world war ii and tribute to her a group of vintage world war ii planes flew over her ceremony. you've been married a few months, i've been married 13 years, so you know you have problems when you're married, sometimes you look for counseling, work it out, if it doesn't work, you go through the divorce route, but one kansas man decided to rob a bank, telling people he'd rather p in jail than with his wife. according to the fbi, this is

lawrence john. he handed the bank teller a note that read, i have a gun, give me money. the teller gave him $3,000, but instead of running away, the 70-year-old sat down in the lobby and waited for police. you can imagine the kansas city community find it really hard to believe. >> i've never heard of someone who would rather come to jail and commit a crime so they don't have to go home and be with their family. that's never happened. >> just makes you wonder what on earth is happening. >> what on earth is happening and what on earth started this all? well, according to his wife, the most recent fight started over a broken dryer. so, i guess one of them is a big laundry person. >> i wonder if the judge's punishment is going to be release him and send him back to his wife at home. >> that may be the worst punishment at all if you're him. i'm aman moye ya dean. >> i'm frances rivera.

have a great thursday, see you

right now at 4:30, breaking overnight. held up at gun point. two armed robberies in a matter of minutes in the south bay santana row. we're live with what we learned. new this morning. major response after a fire breaks out over a recycling center on the peninsula. and caught. police say they finally have the man responsible for shooting an occupied cars in san jose. the clues in the case that led to his arrest. "today in the bay" staurts right now. good thursday morning. thank you for joining us. i'm sam brock. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. we want to get right to mike inouye with a look at the morning commute. two problems out there. first one starting in fremont. >> that's right. starting in fremont but the bay bridge has a major issue. the rest of t